Aaaaaaaagh!!!!! What do I do when the photographs for the post I had planned for today don’t turn out? I dig into my archives.
This pastel drawing of hellebores is the final of the series featuring my former garden in Ferntree Gully. I drew the picture in August 2009. I greatly admired the quiet and subtle beauty of these flowers.
Hellebores like growing in dappled shade and seem to prefer a climate which is wetter than here in Castlemaine. Whilst I see them growing in gardens in the Macedon Ranges, I rarely see them growing locally.
This week I had the opportunity to draw this picture in soft pastel. I had been waiting for weeks for the oaks in one of my favourite sections of Castlemaine’s Botanical Gardens to reach the peak of their autumnal glory.
It is early winter and the oaks are among the last of the deciduous trees to acquire their autumn colour. It was fine, but chilly, when I commenced the drawing on Monday morning, but Wednesday morning was just glorious. There were plenty of people out walking – many with their grandchildren or dogs. Nearby, a small group was practising Qi Gong.
Crimson rosellas, Australian magpies and Bronzewing pigeons enjoyed the bounty offered in the gardens that morning.
This picture gives me a lot of pleasure. I hope you enjoy it too.
The last few days have been very wintry – cold, grey with fitful sun and biting winds.
So, I am cheering myself up with publishing this post about a visit to Vaughan on a beautiful, warm autumn day on Friday, the 1st of May.
The township of Vaughan is situated on the junction of the Loddon River and Fryers Creek which have carved a narrow, steep valley.
The bush at the top of the valley.
Looking across the valley to the rocky slope opposite.
The Vaughan Springs Reserve lies at the bottom of the valley. The mineral springs have attracted day visitors for many years. The reserve has seen better days when it was more popular with visitors but the giant slide has been maintained and the plantings of exotic trees supplemented with newer plantings.
The trees glowed with autumn colour in the bright sun.
I didn’t have time to draw that afternoon so I picked some leaves and made this pastel drawing later.
On Tuesday mornings I travel to Mt. Franklin about 25 minutes from my home to attend a gentle Dru Yoga class in my teacher’s studio on her rural property.
The class is attended by 4 mature aged women. Dora adapts the yoga postures and movements to accommodate our abilities.
Yoga encourages the quality of mindful presence. The attention is focused on the movements of the body and the breath which can allow us to engage more deeply with how we are feeling in our bodies and with our emotions.
During a recent yoga class two of the sequences proved to be especially powerful on the day.
I had the vivid experience of the image I have drawn during the Tree of Transformation sequence.
There was a sense of complementary pieces locking together to form a harmonious whole, the energy of which generated the shining light.
Whilst performing the Salutation to the Four Directions sequence, we were asked to concentrate on the qualities we wanted to have in our lives at present. The qualities which manifested for me were:
Power – self mastery, standing in my power
Gratitude – acknowledging my gratitude for the good things in my life
Compassion – for myself and others
Play – making sure there is a healthy dose of fun, play and creativity in my days.
As I made this drawing, I was reminded of the old tradition of making Tussie Mussies. These small bouquets of fragrant herbs and flowers have been used in various forms since Medieval times. Initially, tussie mussies were pinned to a person’s clothing or worn in the hair to mask body odour or unpleasant smells in the street.
In the 1800s, tussie mussies became popular as gifts, especially between lovers. The posy was a coded message where each flower had a special meaning as listed in the directories of flower meanings published during this period. Often the flowers were placed inside a doily or special cone shaped metal vase. As the flowers could have more than one meaning, it was prudent to accompany the tussie mussie with a card listing the intended meaning of the flowers.
This particular posy included:
cornflowers – delicacy or single blessedness
geranium – comfort
lavender – devotion, virtue or distrust
marigold – desire for riches or despair
pink rose – friendship, love, beauty or success.
For me, these flowers symbolised the hope and abundance spring brings.
margaretgriffin 